New Beer Sunday (Week 732)

Midnight Snack from Abomination Brewing...

Despite the name, I determined this to be a breakfast stout, not a middle of the night stout...
Imperial coffee and donut milk stout pours a nice black color into a pint, kicking up a finger of dark brown foam... Presents aromatics of coffee, chocolate and vanilla, and similar flavors on the sip... Donut flavors are folded in nicely and the sweetness is restrained, bitterness mild... A fairly mellow and drinkable beer, despite the 12.4% abv... Smooth and full-bodied... 1/15 canning... Brewed and canned by Great South Bay...

Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...

 

Happy NBS, everybody!
It is pretty nice here today and, as per usual, I am doing my Sunday thing of finishing some chores, cooking a little and trying some new beer on here with all of you. I will start working on Sundays here in a couple of months so I need to enjoy this lazy Sunday feeling while it lasts.

I'm going to start this week on the light side with this Session IPA from Noctem Artisans Brasseurs. It is made with Mosaic, Vic Secret and Eukanot. I had another of theirs last week or the week before and in general their beers are fairly solid. They sure love their cat branding (and so do I).

As you can see, it's lighter colored than my green wall makes it look.

It pours hazy yellowish color with middlin' white head. The aroma is a mixture of honeydew, orange and earthy mango. The flavor follows this with a more pronounced malt character that is unexpected but pretty nice. Actually makes up for the lack of body a little in my opinion. It does have that kind of fizzy seltzer feel that most session IPAs have, but it is meatier than some. The aroma is definitely hoppier than the flavor is, and it'd be nice if there was more of it there, but all in all this is a decent beer for the style, especially when holding it up to other local versions.

Here is my official review.

Santé!

 

Highway Manor Microflora Diaspora

They call this a "table beer"... which is usually code for Belgian-inspired these days. It's a hazy, dull yellow. Smells sharp and citric. Tastes of the same with tartness, light bread, lemon... and some bitterness in the finish. It's prickly and dry. This is really nice. Balance is really good. Well done. My only complaint is a cultural one. It's a shame that our current beer culture only seems to use the term "table beer" for pricey options.

 

New Beer #2. Thanks @Vidblain !

Uber Joe - 3 Sheeps
BA Stout - 10% abv
Bottled 3/29/18
Score: 4.29 (-0.7% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28879/215926/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
What a unique barrel taste this has. Its “maplewood stave aged”, which for me creates the impression that this was brewed with smoked malt, although I don’t believe it was. It’s a very gentle, agreeable beer, despite the 10% abv. Lots of chocolate and vanilla, and some coffee has survived despite being nearly a year old. Getting a little green pepper, but it’s drowned out by the barrel taste thankfully. I would choose this over FBS (maybe even CBS) any day of the week. Thanks again Chris!

 

Allagash White Ale is a cornerstone classic. It's a beer I can taste in my memory.

 

First off, thanks to @cjgiant for this excellent dessert stout. Dreams from Aslin. Sharing with my wife who loves it more than I do. Pours black with a half inch dark tan head that dissipates pretty quickly and leaves just a couple wisps of lacing. Smells like liquid fudge with coffee notes, a bit of nuttiness and coconut. Taste surpasses the aroma with bittersweet chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, nuttiness, coconut, molasses and brown sugar. Full bodied with very mild carbonation, creamy mouth feel with very mild coffee bitterness.

 

I am glad we gave that one up, given your review and the knowledge that two more people than us got to enjoy it. Cheers!

 

So are we and for the record the slightly shorter pour was Sharon's.

 

Dewey Anti Resolutions

Happy Sunday, BAs. Today’s new beer is a no-boil Imperial IPA with Vic Secret, Lemon Drop, Citra and milk sugar that came my way courtesy of @larryi86.

It pours a very hazy, pale banana yellow with a fat finger of off-white head that leaves thick rings of lacing. If you appreciate the appearance of a good NEIPA, this beer is quite the looker.

Anti Resolutions has a big aroma of creamy tropical fruits — pineapple, papaya, coconut, light citrus.

The taste largely follows the nose, with a white wine element added to the creamy tropical fruit, but it also has a strong mineral water component that prevents it from being too juicy or fruity. Some alcohol and some perceived grassy/herbal bitterness contribute to cutting into any sweetness as well.

It’s creamy feeling with some soda water fizz.

Overall, this is a fun use of milk sugars and nice mix of hops. I’m enjoying it quite a bit, but it smells better than it tastes, IMO.

Thanks, Larry!

 

Yes, I personally expect a beer described as a "table beer" to have farmhouse qualities (e.g., Belgiany flavors) but just as important be lower in alcohol. This beer is 4.2% ABV so this fits that bill.

Cheers!

 

Personally, I'd like it better if beers called "table beers" today were lower. 2 or 3%. That way, they'd push the envelope in today's market, stand out as something unique, and be more like table beers of the past. Unfortunately, the way things work, they'd probably be even more expensive if they were that low in ABV. Cheers.

 

I think it'd be interesting if such lower alcohol offerings would be accepted into the American craft beer scene. I'd at least give them a try.

Though I wonder, would that make the beer you had an "imperial table beer"?

 

Grimm and Haandbryggeriet - Trylletein

Today, I'm going to feature two IPAs that do not feature typical yeast for American IPAs. Let me add the brewer description for this beer:

Is it a bad sign when a brewer spells the name of their collaborators incorrectly? This beer is made with the trendy yeast of the moment - kveik. Despite the spruce tips, it's a NEIPA at it's heart and execution. It's murky and full bodied. Tastes of orange citrus, dirt, and a touch of dry bitterness. This isn't a sweet beer. It's well made and drinkable. Very nice and characteristically Grimm.

Just like the previous beer, I'm very impressed with this beer and the only criticism is a cultural one. I'm not sold on this as cross-cultural beer with Norway. Want to use a trendy "Norwegian" yeast? Then I guess partner up with a Norwegian brewer and use spruce tips. Ehhh? I'd rather they went full-Norwegian in concept OR used the kveik yeast in a way that isolated it as the only differentiator within their lineup.

 

New beer #3. Thanks @Jimmy_Kneecaps !

Ninja vs Unicorn - Pipeworks
DIPA - 8% abv
Score: 4.08 (-4.7% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28178/77708/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Super dank and grassy. A bit too much so for my personal tastes, but I see why this is much loved. Nose is super-pungent, and this looks and feels great. It’s just a sipper for me due to the liquid weed taste. Thanks for the chance JT!

 

Haven’t posted in NBS in a little while, but trying to get back into the swing…

Today’s new beer is from Southern Grist, their 3rd anniversary DIPA which is Triple Dry Hopped with Nelson Sauvin, Barbe Rouge, & Citra hops.

Very tasty NE style DIPA although a bit of the pricy side at $20 per 4 pack.



Poured from 16 oz can dated 2/20/2019.

A: Completely hazy pale yellow with smallish one finger dense white head that settles reasonably quickly leaving some moderate lacing. Looks like orange-pineapple juice.

S: Juicy citrus with pineapple, passion fruit, apricot, tangerine, and white grapes with hints of strawberries or raspberries.

T: Dank citrus with pineapple, passion fruit, tangerines combined with a bit of a white wine and an earthy undertone.

M: Medium body with average carbonation and a soft creamy mouthfeel.

O: Very easy drinking and well executed DIPA. Another excellent brew from Southern Grist and wishing them many more years of success.

Full disclosure - I did q quick rating on this early this week, but settling in today for a proper review...

 

A cold took me out for last week's NBS, but I still have the same lineup of new Belgian style beers I had planned to share then so....

NBS Beer #1



Van Dammit

Jailbreak Brewing Company
Belgian Strong Dark Ale / 9.10% ABV

3.91/5 rDev 0% | Score: 3.91
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

canned 11/20/18

L- the beer pours a clear dark brown with purple highlighting the edges when the light passes through. The head is a modest half finger of tan bubbles which quickly recede to a thin ring. No lacing is present.
S-The nose is a mix of dark fruit leaning toward sweet grapes/raisins. Behind this is some yeastiness in that musty barnyard fashion.
T-The taste upfront is candi sugar mixed with raisin. Yeastiness from the nose mixes with maybe a touch more alcohol presence than I would like. Both linger into the aftertaste of the sip.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light but prickly.
O- A solid representation of the style, but nothing you need to seek out.

 

Today’s new beer is Kaaterskill, a really special IPA from West Kill Brewing. This presents as a pale yellow-orange can pour with a deep haze and an aroma of orange blossoms. The flavor is of grapefruit, orange and mango, but some grain comes through because the brew does not taste very sweet. The hop bitterness is moderate. The mouthfeel is tingly at first and then very soft and smooth. This is a superb brew with some finely rendered can-art.

 

Another new one that I picked up this week in Nashville - Bearded Iris’s Mad World. This one showcases Motueka and Mosaic hops with Motueka listed twice on the can. Maybe both in the main boil and then again for dry hopping?

This one comes off as a Mojito inspired DIPA and is decidedly less hazy than BI’s typical beer. Nice twist, but I prefer many of their other offerings more.



Poured from 16 oz can dated 2/20/2019

A: Moderately hazy sunshine yellow with 1-2 finger frothy white head. Lasting retention and nice lacing.

S: Punch of fresh squeezed lemons and limes with more subtle citrus of mango, apricot, and peaches.

T: Flavors remind me of a Mojito infused with some stone fruits like apricot and peaches.

M: Medium body with lighter carbonation. Finishes with a faint tartness from lemon / line.

O: Nice twist and departure from many other BI beers.

Rated this one earlier this week also, and enjoying another today to review it. What can I say? When you get home from a birthday trip with new beer, it doesn’t always make it to the weekend before you try it…